I hope everyone is safe and in good health this week. The difficult global news may have you searching for the meaning of it all, or perhaps you are looking for temporary distractions. I like to think this post can help you with the latter, because it doesn’t do very well with the former.
There exists a strain of movies I have seen that use their medium to confuse and disorient the viewer, or that give no clear-cut answers about much of anything. A second screening may clear some things up, or even add a completely different significance. Some of them may even be devoid of meaning entirely.
The seven films on this list are ambiguous in the ways I have just described, yet they seem realistic, as there is a sense that each of the plots could happen in real life. They are not so much trippy, supernatural and totally dream-like either, so you won’t see 2001: A Space Odyssey, Under the Skin or Mulholland Drive on here, even though those are great films teeming with ambiguity. Prepare to be confused!
There are minor spoilers in the sense that I will mention how some of these films lack a traditional ending or resolution, but the details will be left out. And while I love all these films, some are intentionally controversial in order to create their intended effect.
The Master (2010)
There are many things to take away from this work by Paul Thomas Anderson, a master all in himself. For one thing, it gives two of the greatest actors of their generation, Joaquin Phoenix and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, the spotlight and dares them share the stage. Both are tremendous. Phoenix plays Freddie Quell, an awkward loner who served in World War II and ends up in the care of Lancaster Dodd, Hoffman’s character, who is “The Master” of a scientology-esque cult known as The Cause. In this sense, the film may serve as a cautionary tale on the manipulative power of such a cult in America, yet it doesn’t seem to take a clear and critical side. And much like its protagonist, the plot wanders. My second viewing helped me focus in on the relationship between the two characters, as well as the visual power of the rarely used 65 mm film, but it still left me with a question I can’t really pin down the answer to: what is it trying to say the most, if anything?
Available for free on Netflix
A Serious Man (2009)
The Coen brothers are known for their nearly plot-less and almost anarchic approach in movies. This is seen in a lot of their films like No Country for Old Men and even The Big Lebowski, but A Serious Man might be the perfect example. Michael Stuhlbarg does a great job as Larry Gopnik, a distressed college professor who looks to three rabbis to give him direction on what it all means once he finds his life unraveling around him. This results in a film that is both deflating and hilarious. If you end up feeling a little empty once the credits roll, you are not alone, but after some reflection I found that the ending is probably as perfect as the Coens could have intended. I’ll let you watch for yourself if you haven’t already, so that you can marvel at the film manifestation of how the search for the meaning in life may be similar to bumping through a maze with no way out. And leave it to the Coen brothers to shine a light on the funny side of it all.
Available for free on Netflix
The Square (2017)
It’s hard to know where to begin with The Square. The film moves about nearly plotless, as it follows a Stockholm art museum curator named Christian who continuously finds himself in compromising situations, often created out of his own decision making or lack thereof. Sometimes funny, sometimes unnerving, the strange experience is much unlike anything I have seen in a movie. A particularly uncomfortable scene made me feel as though I was watching performance art when I saw it, but its tone is well prefaced with certain other scenes in the film that also throw the viewer in the center of conflict and controversy. I didn’t really know what to make of it when it was all over, all I know is that I was impressed by having seen something so normal yet so abstract at the same time. I will say that there is an inherent satirical nature to the film, specifically towards the aloofness that exists in the high-class art world, but the allure lies in the plot’s transpiration, which is anything but typical.
Available for free on Hulu
The Stunt Man (1980)
Starring Steve Railsback, The Stunt Man follows a criminal named Cameron who hides from the eye of the police by working as a stunt man for a film crew. The movie constantly tricks the viewer, as it intends to make you question whether the action is a stunt or if the danger is real. Adding to the fun is the egoistic director who is brought to life by Peter O’Toole, who, as the visionary of the fictional movie, has control over the manipulation of Cameron’s reality and thus appears to be directing the actual film from within. The tension mounts as the plot escalates, and we are taken for a unique cinematic ride. Despite all this mind-bending, The Stunt Man has more of a traditional narrative structure compared to the previous films on this list with its inclusion of a love-interest storyline and a climactic sequence, yet you feel duped and disoriented the whole way, which for me made it a pleasure to watch.
Hable con ella (2004)
Pedro Almodóvar is a master of ambiguity and conflict when it comes to the viewer’s sentiments. Brought up during the Movida Madrileña, a cultural era in Spain that blossomed after the age of dictatorial censorship, Almodóvar’s films constantly challenge gender roles and aim to push boundaries. None of his films succeed at a level as beautifully challenging as Hable con ella, which translates into English as Talk to Her. In the story, a unique friendship is formed between two men who fall in love with two women who end up in comas. Almodóvar’s traditional blurring of gender roles and stereotypes is present here, yet more subtle than some of his other works. The film’s colorful palate and beautiful cinematography is also an interesting point of unease given the story that contains a specific controversial occurrence that serves as the main point of conflict. This twist may cross the line for some, but Almodóvar is aware of this, as on the other side he brings out themes of forgiveness and compassion, especially when applied to the idea of what it means to act masculine.
Taxi Driver (1976)
My favorite Scorsese movie, Taxi Driver creates an atmosphere that has been mimicked for decades. Robert DeNiro plays Travis Bickle, a cab driver in New York City who has seen his fair share of stuff (clues hint to us that he has served in the military). The dude is clearly a creep, but you are taken into a near dream-like state as you descend with him into violence. Yet some of his actions are deemed noble, as we are prone to sympathize with him in moments throughout the film. I will say that my perception of the Travis Bickle character has gotten more and more sinister with each viewing, yet Scorsese leaves it up to viewer to decide what there is to conclude, thus bringing up the ambiguous question of the antihero. Is he noble or is he mad? Is it possible to be both? When you think of modern hits in popular entertainment, the protagonists of The Sopranos (a show that exemplifies this list’s theme on many occasions), Breaking Bad and other famous programs and movies prove that Scorsese’s execution of the ambiguous antihero was very influential.
Available for free on Netflix
Adaptation. (2002)
One of the more unique comedies you’ll see, Adaptation. may not be ambiguous in a more overt sense, yet it does have you make your fair share of double takes. A meta-work, the film advances as if we are living in a screenplay, yet it doesn’t cross the line into the supernatural like some of director Spike Jonze’s other films such as Being John Malkovich. Nicolas Cage stars as two people and Meryl Streep stars as an actual person who exists in real life in this movie adaptation that isn’t actually a real movie adaptation. In the film, Cage plays Charlie Kaufman, the actual movie’s real-life screenwriter, who in the film is looking to make an adaptation of Susan Orlean’s journalistic book The Orchid Thief for the big screen. In the company of his fictional twin brother Donald (also played by Cage), he slides down into a storyline with twists and turns that seem to be right out of a movie itself.
Available for free on Crackle
While all seven of these films are confusing and unclear in their own ways, I really enjoy the unique viewing experience each one brings. Most of the directors on here (Anderson, the Coens, Almodóvar and even Scorcese) are used to a more ambiguous, character-centric style, so there is room for digging deeper if you enjoy the picks on here.
While you may be confused by these films, it is important to stay clearly informed on what is happening with the global epidemic. Like the movies listed above, it may be difficult to find meaning in it all, but we can do our part to keep us, our loved ones and our communities healthy. Stay safe and take care!
Ish
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